Thursday, March 05, 2009

Not getting it

Some talking head was on Radio 5 on Tuesday talking about some Pelagianist scheme to prefect human beings through school admission criteria. You can listen HERE: it's about 1 hour 25 minutes in. She thought schools should not ask whether parents were married to each other if they were religious schools.

Nicky Campbell asked why a faith school shouldn't ask if parents are married as part of the admissions process - marriage being a central tenet of religious practice to most religions.

Talking Head:Pupils aren't admitted to schools on the basis of their parents' marital status...

Nicky Campbell:But they are admitted on the basis of their faith

Talking HeadIn that case the faith needs to be tested on the basis of baptismal certificates, for example. I don't think you can make a case for parents' marital status or where they live as being criteria...

So there you have it. There are plenty of Catholics abandoned by their spouses, it is true, but as a general rule whether parents are married to each is some indication as to how seriously they take their faith. Is that information not pertinent? Why does a (secular) professor of education get to tell religious organisations what does and does not constitute reasonable evidence of taking faith seriously enough to want to put a child into a religious school.